Yemen's long-serving president Ali Abdullah Saleh says he will not seek re-election next year and urged political parties to nominate young leaders to run the country.

Mr. Saleh announced his decision Sunday during a meeting in Sanaa with political parties. He added that he wanted the country to set an example of a peaceful transition of power.

Mr. Saleh was president of the northern Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 to 1990 and became president of the new merged state of Yemen in 1990. He became Yemen's first directly elected president in 1999, winning a majority of the votes.